After a second round of air and surface testing at Mira Costa High School showed no detection of asbestos in the walkways and adjacent classrooms to the library where contractors disturbed asbestos tiles Aug 16, the area was reopened on Friday.

Displaced teachers returned to their regular classrooms on Monday.

“We are still in process of developing a plan for the library itself, and we should know more by early next week,” wrote Superintendent Mike Matthews in address to students, teachers and parents.

The library and three adjacent classrooms were closed since the day of the incident.

Workers with Progessive Surface Solution it is alleged used a power grinder on asbestos-containing flooring material while students and others were in the library to collect textbooks. The work was being overseen by general contractor KYA Group, which was also cited in the violation notice.

The allegations carry a possible civil fine that is often worked out through a settlement agreement, according to SCAQMD spokesman Sam Atwood.

Textbooks that were in the library at the time have also been tested for asbestos material and come back negative, according to Matthews. Textbook distribution will resume this week.

“Most of our ninth-grade textbooks have been stored in Room 15, across from the library. Thorough testing was completed in this area as well, and all results came back showing no detection of asbestos,” Matthews said.

He said the district was acting out of an abundance of caution by thoroughly cleaning areas they suspect asbestos material could have landed even though tests came back negative.

“We want to resolve this as quickly as possible, while also confirming that we have done everything necessary to ensure the safety of all of our students and staff,” Matthews said.

Manhattan Beach resident Linda Reinstein, who co-founded the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization during her husband fight with mesothelioma, said the situation at Mira Costa is a prime example why asbestos awareness is so important. More than 40,000 Americans die each year from asbestos related disease, Reinstein said.

“This is an example that communities cannot identify asbestos or manage the risk on their own,” Reinstein said. “That’s why we as Americans need to have strong laws in place to protect public health and the environment.”

The Trump administration is currently trying to weaken laws that regulate asbestos, proposing a framework that will allow for the approval of “new uses” of asbestos, and exempting the risk of asbestos from the EPA’s analysis of legacy buildings.

David Rosenfeld has been working as a professional journalist for nearly 20 years at newspapers, magazines and websites. He's covered murder trials, interviewed governors and presidential candidates and once did a flip in a biplane for a story assignment. Before joining The Daily Breeze in 2018 to cover El Segundo, Hawthorne and aerospace, he worked at The Beach Reporter in Redondo Beach. In his free time, David loves outdoor sports such as sailing, mountain biking and golfing.